ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke are just three of the many health risks associated with smoking cigarettes. A report by the CDC found that 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but only six percent are successful. Recently, researchers have found a new way to increase the chances of success.
According to the CDC, over 37 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, even though we’ve heard the warnings for years!
“Tobacco use, smoking, is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in our society,” shared Steven Zucker, DMD, MED, Director of the Area Health Education Center, Nova Southeastern University.
But quitting isn’t easy.
“Stopping smoking is really difficult, most people take multiple attempts before they’re able to quit,” Dr. Zucker continued.
Researchers from Oregon State University found that if you want to quit smoking, cut back on alcohol. They found that a drinker’s nicotine metabolite ratio, a biomarker for how quickly a person's body metabolizes nicotine, reduced when they cut back on drinking. People with a lower ratio have an easier time going cold turkey, and are more likely to be successful when using nicotine replacement products. So if you want to ditch the cigs, ditch those cocktails too!
Many experts suggest also signing up for a stop-smoking group. This can hold you accountable and provide you with support and peers to lean on.
Contributors to this news report include: Haley Hudson, field Producer; and Dave Harrison, Editor.